A New Beginning
by DaniPayson
Summary: Taking place directly after Second Chances, Mulder & Scully tackle life with their newborn daughter and reemergence of their teenage son.


All color had left Dana's face. Her first-born child on the security monitor being the reason of the lack of pigment. The sound of the glass breaking causing her husband to rush up the stairs two steps at a time to see what had happened, and as he went to her realizing immediately why the glass had slipped from her grasp.

Placing his hands on her shoulders, he gently squeezed them in his best possible "it's ok" way, but also wondering why today of all days their son chose to arrive.

Or how he even knew they were there.

The boy on the other end of the camera continued to stare at the screen, seeming to hope for some kind of reply and receiving none. The desperation in his face clearly obvious as the near freezing temps also played a factor.

"I'll go get him." Mulder said stepping away from his wife and grabbing his car keys off the designated hook.

"But…" Scully quickly turned to him not sure what to say, "How did he know where we were?"

"We'll have to ask him." Mulder replied before taking his winter coat off the rack by the front doors and rushing out into the cold.

Dana kept going back and forth from the security screen to the app on her phone as she watched her son shiver and her daughter sleep. In the last twenty-four hours she had gone from having a child on the way and one God knows where to having both within her grasp.

And this time he was letting her actually see him.

After a minute or so the headlights from Mulder's vehicle appeared on the screen and William's eyes diverted from the monitor as the tall man he had only really met once before approached him. She watched as the gates opened and they shared a few words before William followed his father out of camera range and the screen turned dark as the motion light turned off.

Bill had already cleaned up the mess from the glass as Dana returned her eyes to the baby monitor while her heart beat a million beats a minute waiting for the front door to open.

Feeling he was in the way, Bill placed his hand on Dana's shoulder, "I'm going to go help Matthew set up the system. Give you some alone time."

Dana nodded and thanked her brother as he gave her a soft smile before heading towards the basement steps closing the door behind him.

The silence was deafening as she waited for Mulder to return with their son, to the point of pacing around the kitchen island constantly checking the security monitor to see if there were any changes. The gate was less than a mile away, so what was taking them so long?

Before she allowed herself to fully panic, the front door opened and Mulder entered, with William behind him. His gaze set on the floor as Mulder closed the door behind him. Dana's upper teeth digging into her lower lip she watched as their direction turned towards the kitchen and slowly William's head lifted to meet his mother's gaze.

"Hi..." She said softly given this was their first real meeting face to face since he was not even a year old.

"Hi..." He replied in the same tone seeming much more nervous than she had expected given everything she knew he had done.

She so very much wanted to hug him, but was afraid he'd recoil. He was as tall and lanky as his father, but seemed even thinner than he should have been.

Watching the tears start to build up in her eyes, Mulder intervened "Do you want something to eat, drink?"

William shook his head, "I'm ok."

Going into full mother mode Scully shook her head, "No, you're not." She wiped away the tears and went to the fridge, pulling out the lasagna from the night before and then grabbing a plate out of the cabinet next to the fridge, "Take your coat off and sit at the dining room table."

Being spoken to in such a way seemed to snap the boy out of his malaise and he nodded and began to take off his large canvas backpack and hooded jacket, handing them to Mulder who then pointed him in the direction of the dining room where the motion activated lights illuminated with his presence. William sat down at the end of the six-person dining table as Mulder placed his belongings on the couch on the other side of the room before sitting to the right of his son. The room was uncomfortably quiet as the two really had no idea what to say to one another. Too many unanswered questions filled both their minds as they waited for someone to break the silence.

The microwave beeped and within seconds, Scully was walking into the dining area with a plate of hot lasagna and a large glass of water which she placed in front of her son before sitting to the left of him directly across from her husband.

William picked up the fork and looked down at the green, red and white concoction in front of him, "What is this?"

"Vegan lasagna." Scully replied.

William's eyes narrowed and his face resembled that of a toddler who tasted stewed prunes for the first time, "Seriously?"

"It's good. I promise." Scully had to chuckle at the memory of his face scrunching up like that.

William nodded and stabbed into the food, "Anything is better than McDonalds at this point."

As he chewed the non-animal product Italian dish he nodded and heartily went for a second helping. Mulder smiled proudly as he watched his son enjoy the non-McDonald's meal.

"Where have you been?" Mulder finally asked him after half the serving had already been cleared away from the plate.

William shrugged and swallowed before replying, "Around." He sighed and placed the fork on the plate before taking a sip of water, "Everywhere."

"That's really not an answer." Scully replied, "Where exactly?"

"Well…" he took another drink and then sighed heavily, "I wanted to go to California, with my girlfriend."

"Which one?" Mulder asked with an annoyed tone to his voice.

"Sarah…" he replied, and sighed again, "But she chickened out. Honestly, I didn't know what to do. I had nowhere to go."

"That's not true." Scully said placing her hand on his left arm and squeezing his arm gently, "You had us."

William shook his head, "No..." he looked down at his mother, "I knew you were pregnant."

Scully's hand slowly withdrew from his arm, "How…"

William's eyes locked with hers, "You know how…I just couldn't do that to you. I guess I figured if I got that man I THOUGHT was my father to shoot me thinking I was you…" he looked over at Mulder, "Then it would all be over." He looked down, "But I didn't die."

"Did you know you wouldn't?" Mulder asked.

"It's not like I ever asked anyone to shoot me before. I could make people THINK I had been shot, or I had slit my wrists, lots of gruesome stuff, and I already knew I could breathe under water for extended periods of time…but not that. Never that, but at that point in time I just wanted out." He picked up the fork and stabbed another bit of food, "I'm not even hungry, but this is actually good."

"Please tell me you didn't hear anything said on that pier…" Scully asked her heart instantly sinking into her stomach.

"I could hear you if you were a hundred feet away." William replied while chewing, "But I knew why you said it. I know I'm not normal. I know I'm some kind of experiment. I've known it since grade school. I just want to know why."

"But, we are your parents." Scully placed her hand back on his arm, "You know that."

He nodded, "I found the DNA results online. I found my original birth certificate online." He looked over at Mulder, "You're not on it."

Mulder nodded, "I know. I'm sure after all you've already gone through you understand why that is."

"I guess." He said finishing off the last bit of lasagna, "Once I knew your name I found a lot more. I found out about my birth mother hacking into hospital records about a year ago; my parents always told me I was adopted, but it wasn't until everything started happening to me that I needed to know if I even had parents and wasn't born in a lab."

"You weren't born in a lab…" Scully added, "That I KNOW for certain." Given she had gone through the same event less than twenty-four hours earlier she was very familiar with the memory.

"But was I created in one?" he asked her then turned to his father, "You can tell me the truth."

"We don't know the truth." Mulder replied, "Honestly."

After a moment William nodded, "I believe you."

"You can read minds…" Mulder stated and asked at the same time.

"Not all, and it's still new to me. Started maybe a year or so when the seizures started. My parents thought I had epilepsy, but the doctors said there were no signs of the disease in my brain. They gave me all these pills that basically turned me into a zombie, but the seizures had stopped so I could go to school and just sit there and not make others think bugs were crawling all over the blackboard." He shook his head and took hold of the glass of water, "I hated them." He took a drink and sighed, "Then I just stopped taking them and that's when I started to see all this apocalyptic crap. People bleeding from their eyes, and just dropping dead in the street. The shrink told my mom I had an overactive imagination. She asked me to draw what I saw, so I did. I drew a spaceship, and the blood and she just wanted to put me on more pills." Closing his eyes, William ran his fingers through his dark hair and sighed again before opening them back up and looking directly at Scully, "Then I saw you." Then he looked over at Mulder, "And you…but I didn't know the connection to either. I saw him, the man who shot me, and there was a deeper connection. That's why I thought he was my father. I could see what he was doing and feel his hate. So much hate. I didn't know anyone could be that awful."

"I'm very familiar with that emotion." Mulder replied, "He's my father."

"I know that now, but then…I needed to let someone know that what I was seeing was real. It wasn't just in my head and I wasn't making it up. Why would I make that up? But given my history, no one believed me. Then I remembered you." He looked back at his birth mother, "I knew there had to be a reason I saw you before anyone else. I knew your name, so I went to the internet to see if the name matched the face in my head. I can't tell you what a relief that was."

"I could have done without the seizures…" Scully replied shrugging, "Seriously."

William gave a small smile and nodded, "I didn't think you'd actually share my pain, I just wanted to share what I was seeing to see if you could prevent it some way. Clearly you did, because I don't see him anymore."

Scully looked to Mulder, "You want to take this one?"

"But you were there." Mulder said to his son, "Didn't you know I shot him?"

William shook his head, "After he shot me I must have passed out from the shock because I woke up underwater. Not sure how long I was down there before I could hear the two of you talking, given your…situation, I decided it would be best to just move on. And I did. For a few months I just wandered around Norfolk. No one was after me anymore, and most people thought I was dead along with my parents. Sarah and Amy wanted nothing to do with me, and I never really had friends so I just played the lottery – changing my identity up every time as to not get anyone too suspicious – bought a car under the name Joe Sixpack. Seriously. The title is under Joe Sixpack." He let out a laugh which was refreshing to hear, but quickly faded, "Then I guess I just got lonely." He said pushing the plate away so he could lock his fingers and rest his arms on the table, "I didn't want to interfere with your lives, but there was just this connection I couldn't shake. It was gnawing at me. Something I'd never felt before. Started after Halloween. I remembered when I was in middle school and dressed up as a zombie for Halloween because zombies were all the rage then, and that brought up the visions of all the people dying in the streets and then I remembered you, both of you, and I just…"

"Wanted a family." Scully cut him off.

He nodded, "So, taking a chance I looked up your names again. You were no longer in the FBI database."

"They basically purged our existence." Mulder piped in, "Part of the deal in order to get an actual pension and healthcare."

William nodded, "I found two addresses, one in Maryland in one in Virginia about an hour from DC. Both owned by other people. It's like you vanished."

Scully sighed, "That was kind of the idea."

"We'd done it before." Mulder added, "Which was the reason your mother had to give you up in the first place."

"I guess that makes sense."

"But that doesn't explain how you found us."

William shifted uncomfortably in his chair, "You're going to find this weird."

"William, or Jackson…what should we call you?" Mulder asked.

"William. Jackson is dead."

Mulder nodded, "William, after all we've been through, we're numb to weird."

"We welcome weird." Scully added.

William gave a small smile, "Well, I just kept driving. Figured maybe now I'd actually go to California and if I was lucky could possibly stumble upon you."

"That seems to have happened."

"So, yesterday I was in Hollywood. Some dump of a hotel just attempting to rest, sleep, whatever. And I saw your face…" He looked at Scully, "And yours" he added looking at Mulder. "Not sure how or where, because I hadn't seen or felt either of you in months. It was like something was telling me where to go. I got up, got dressed, packed up and drove until I was told to stop. It's like I had an internal GPS telling me exactly where to go, and it brought me here."

Scully's brain began to process all of this, and the ache in her stomach grew, "What time did this happen? The initial…visions…"

William shrugged, "Midnight or so."

Mulder nodded and looked to his wife, "Minus the time difference that's about when Melissa was born."

Scully closed her eyes and sighed, nodding in agreement.

William looked at both of them and shook his head, "Who is Melissa?"

"Your sister." Scully got up from the table and picked up the plate and glass, "Your newborn sister was WHO brought you here."

After placing the plate and glass in the sink, Scully stood over the sink staring down at the dishes and focusing on her breathing.

"You might as well say what you're thinking because he already knows." Mulder said after walking into the kitchen and standing with his arms crossed and his back against the counter next to her.

"Are you a mind reader too?" Scully replied turning on the water to clean off the plate.

"I've always been able to read your mind."

"This isn't funny."

"Do you see me laughing?"

Scully rinsed off the plate before pushing him aside to open the dishwasher and place the dish with the other plates on the bottom rack before doing the same with the glass on the top rack, "I just can't have a normal life now can I?" She said slamming the door shut.

"I think normal was out of the question the second you met me." Mulder replied.

"It's Christmas." Scully sighed looking up at him, "Why is all this happening today?"

"You're asking the wrong person, but what I do know is there is a seventeen-year-old boy who needs his mother." Mulder placed his hands on her shoulders, "However he did come into this world, he's ours and he needs a family." Scully closed her eyes and let her head fall against her husband's chest, "You go check on Melissa, and I'll get him settled in his room."

Scully nodded and sniffed back the tears she couldn't stop and kept her head down as she passed the dining room up the stairs.

William kept his head down as well as Mulder went to the couch and grabbed his things.

"Do you want me to leave?" William asked not looking up.

"You know I don't." Mulder replied, "It's just been a very long day."

William nodded, "I'm well aware." He said before getting up and following his father up the stairs.

"It's a four-bedroom house. Scully's brother and nephew are visiting and her brother is in one guest room and his son is staying in the basement with the TV; our room is at the end of the hall, Melissa's is next to it." Mulder opened the bedroom door across from Melissa's, "This is yours."

William walked ahead of Mulder into the room which eerily resembled his room in Norfolk, "This is my room."

Mulder nodded, "I contacted the realtor after the investigation was over to have all your things sent here. Your bed, desk, clothes, your books…sadly your computers were confiscated and destroyed."

"Figured they would be." William said sitting on the bed, "But why did you do this?"

"Regardless of what she said on that pier that night, and even if I never found out you actually were my son, you were always going to be part of our life. Some may think it's weird, like parents of missing children who keep their rooms exactly the same hoping for some kind of eventual closure. I can't explain why, but I just knew it was the right thing to do."

William got up from the bed and went to the window, looking out at the snow-covered trees, "It's peaceful here."

"That was point." Mulder replied. "The bathroom is next to Melissa's room across the hall, and we're to your left if you need anything in the night.

William nodded as Mulder went to grab the door handle to close it behind him.

"Dad…" William said.

Hearing it for the first time, ever, overwhelmed him to the point he couldn't reply. Mulder just simply turned and looked at his son and smiled.

"Thank you." William replied.

Mulder nodded and closed the door.

As she sat up on her king-sized bed, watching the not even a day-old newborn suckle all Dana felt was dread. She loved her son, she always had, but now all his arrival did was cast doubts on the little one in her arms.

After moving the newborn to her other breast, Scully closed her eyes and tried to imagine a normal existence…and nothing came to her.

The bedroom door opened and she slowly opened her eyes to see her husband entering and closing it behind him.

"Did you get him settled in HIS room." She said adjusting the robe to cover what the baby wasn't.

"Yes…" Mulder said approaching the bed and looking agitated, "You act like I haven't seen those things before."

"They're bigger now."

"Again…"

Scully let her eyes roll up to the ceiling and decided to change the subject, "Did it completely freak him out to see his belongings?"

"A bit." Mulder sat down on the end of the bed and proceed to take off his athletic shoes, "But comforting as well, which was the point. I guess I thought we'd always see him again."

"But it's the how part I can't accept."

"That they have some kind of connection. You see it in twins all the time."

"TWINS! There's a seventeen-year age difference!"

"That doesn't mean it's not possible."

"You really will believe anything won't you?"

"Isn't that why you fell in love with me?"

Scully scoffed, "I fell in love with you despite that."

"I'll take what I can get." Mulder replied tossing his shoes towards the closet ten feet away, which was quickly followed by a loud groan from the woman behind him. "We said if he needed us he'd let us know. He's letting us know."

"I know."

"We're literally the only family he has."

"I KNOW!" she exclaimed in such a frustrating way that Melissa pulled away and began to cry. "Dammit." She said sitting up and wiping the baby's mouth with her robe before getting up and placing her in the bassinette next to the bed. "I need a shower." She said looking over at the shoeless man at the end of the bed, "If she doesn't stop crying in a few minutes come get me."

"Do you think I'm not capable of caring for her on my own?" Mulder said insulted.

"That's not what I meant." She groaned again, "Just…" not finishing her thought she simply threw her arms up in the air in defeat and walked into the master bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

Mulder walked over to the bassinette and kneeled down next to it as the little girl screamed, her hands balled up into fists and her face red in frustration, "You'll get used to it." He said knowing there was no way she truly understood what he was saying, but needing to say the words anyway. Melissa continued to cry so by instinct alone he picked her up and sat on the end of the bed. Her tiny body safely cradled between his forearm and chest she only squirmed for a moment before settling and closing her eyes. Afraid to waken her, he slowly moved backwards onto the bed being sure not to move her, until he was propped up against the pillows on his side of the bed, the newborn still fast asleep.

Her face looked like that of a porcelain doll, even as he watched her breathe causing her little button nose to move ever so slightly and her lips to quiver just the tiniest bit he found himself caught in her beauty and innocence as he brushed the fine dark red hairs on her baby soft scalp. Shaking his head Mulder took a very deep breath and fought back the tears that so wanted to fall.

"You're not even a day old, so I don't think you have any idea how very important you are. You don't even understand what I'm saying, but if you can in any way comprehend what I'm about to say I'm going to say it anyway. I didn't really understand love until I met your mother. What it felt like, what I would do for it, but as I look at you right now I feel every thing I felt the moment I first laid eyes on the woman I would do anything for. I'm not sure how or why you came into our lives at such a time; I just know I will spend the rest of my life doing all I can to make sure you know very much you are wanted, needed and loved. I'm sure you will be dealing with a lot of snickering on the school yard when the other kids see your parents and just assume we're your grandparents, but even if I'm in a wheelchair I will run down anyone who tries to hurt you. I just know, you are meant for great things and I will be the best father I can possibly be."

Biting his lower lip, a single tear fell from Mulder 's face and landed on the pink onesie which covered Mellissa's tiny body. Mulder then heard a louder sniff coming from in front of him. Looking up he saw his wife in her red silk pajamas, her hair wrapped in a towel and her arms crossed shaking her head as she let the tears fall freely down her face.

"How long were you standing there?" Mulder asked as Scully approached the bed.

"Long enough." She gave a small smile before sitting on the edge of the bed while looking down at the newborn, "Sometimes I think it's a dream; that I'll wake up and she won't be here."

"Me too." Mulder replied, "Or that I'll wake up and I'll be alone again." He said looking directly at her, "And that the last year has only been a dream and you still hate me."

"I never hated you." She replied softly, but in a very hurt tone, "Life just comes with lots of ups and downs. We've survived the downs, all that's left is up."

Mulder smiled and looked back down at Melissa as she continued to sleep oblivious to her surroundings, "I just want her to know how special she is."

"She will, but for now we all need our sleep because I have a feeling tomorrow will be filled with questions I do not have the answers to."

Never give up on a miracle.

Those words continued to echo through Dana's mind as her partner held her in his strong, warm and comforting arms. As her heart continued to ache she realized in this moment she never wanted him to let go.

Her upper teeth biting into her lower lip she opened her eyes, swallowed the lump in her throat and looked up at him.

"Do you need to go home," she asked hoping and praying the answer wasn't yes.

Mulder shook his head and withdrew his arms from her no longer shivering back, "No, I can stay."

Scully nodded her thankfulness and took his left hand in her right before turning and starting to walk to the bedroom.

Mulder didn't budge, causing Scully to turn back to look at him. "You said you'd stay."

"But…" Mulder was afraid to ask or even just assume what she really meant.

Scully simply nodded again and pulled at his hand, but he didn't move as if his feet were made out of lead.

"Please." She begged her eyes welling up again.

Not wanting to see her cry, again, Mulder nodded and let her lead him into the bedroom not sure what her intentions were but knowing he'd do anything just to keep her from being upset.

After leading him to the bed, Scully sat down on the edge of the side she normally slept and let go of his hand. Her eyes turning up to meet his in the darkness she placed both palms on his chest and took a deep breath; almost feeling relieved as she felt his heart racing as fast as hers. There was so much she wanted to say, but feared in her highly emotional state that it all wouldn't make sense. She needed him, now more than ever before, and she knew he needed her too.

Licking her quivering from nervous lips, but keeping her palms firmly on his chest, she slowly stood back up – her eyes fixated on his as she rose – and hoped he would take the hint and kiss her. Not like the New Years Eve kiss from months earlier, but a true kiss of need, hunger and desire.

She watched him lick his lips and felt his heart race faster. If he was afraid she would reject him he was wrong, she just didn't know how to tell him.

Realizing she would have to be the initiator, she slid her hands up the rest of his chest to his neck and gently brought his head down to hers. Their lips touching only for a second, but with enough power to send shockwaves all the way to her toes. If she ever questioned what her heart felt, her mind confirmed it. Leaning in a second time, their lips touched and the need took over as she delicately pushed her tongue through her lips and between his. Mulder's arms coming around her back and pulling her closer to him as she moaned in his arms and their tongues continued the rhythmic dance the other parts of their bodies desperately wanted to emulate.

As the kiss continued and deepened, Scully moved her hands away from his neck and down to the top of his jeans, her fingers no longer sharking as she unbuttoned and placed her hands under the waistband, the zipper unzipping as she grabbed hold of what she needed. He moaned into her mouth and his hands were on her face as his shaft hardened under her fingers and she suddenly felt she had more power than she could possibly control, but had now gone too far to ever turn back.

Feeling as if she would spontaneously combust at any minute, Scully moved her hands to her partner's back and held him as she lowered herself and him onto the bed. His hands holding her head as their lips refused to part.

As a child, Scully never played house, she never carried around a baby doll; she never wanted to be a mother until she was told she couldn't. This realization not really hitting until she found Emily and when Mulder told her about the found embryos. She knew the chances were slim, but her options were also limited. When she realized she wanted a child, and who she wanted a child with, she found herself picturing her life – their life – with that child. What it would look like, what he or she would grow up to be. Eventually that child became so real to her that being told, yet again, it was not meant to be was too much to bear. As if there was a giant hole in her heart she desperately needed to fill. She loved Mulder. She had loved him longer than she could remember not loving him and even if a child would never come to them, she needed him. She needed him now.

When Mulder's lips parted from hers, a small welp left her lips. She caught him smiling in the evening glow of dusk and licked her lips.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that…" he said placing his right hand on her chest.

"Me too…" she replied taking his right hand in hers, their fingers intertwining.

"But…"

No buts…not now. Scully bit her lower lip waiting for her heart to shatter again.

"I know you're in a lot of pain right now, and I will be here for you…. but we can't. Not now." The tears began to form behind her eyes as he squeezed her hand. "I'll stay with you tonight, and any other night you need me…" he looked down at her again before sitting up on the bed and sighing.

"I-" he started and a baby's cry drowned out what he was saying.

"You what?" Scully thought to herself unable to say the words out loud.

The crying continued, even louder now and she opened her eyes to even more darkness with only the sound of a newborn's cries.

"She's not crying for me." A muffled and tired voice said next to her.

Snapping back into reality, Scully got out of the warm bed and walked the two feet to the bassinette and scooped her daughter into her arms before returning to the warmth of her bed. Melissa's tiny cries continued as Dana fumbled with the buttons on her nightshirt, feeling her breasts swell with every cry until she was finally able to provide the child with the sustenance she needed.

As Melissa suckled, Scully took a deep breath and let her mind go back to where it was only minutes earlier.

"Mulder…" she said to the lump completely under the covers.

"I'm not hungry." He mumbled.

Gently smacking him in what she hoped was his chest she continued, "Do you remember the first time we made love?"

A head popped out from under the burgundy comforter, "First or last time?"

Rolling her eyes, she smacked him again, "First."

"It was nearly eighteen years ago."

"I'm well aware. But do you remember."

Mulder sat up and looked down at her nodding, "You really don't forget the first time the woman you're destined to be with walks into your life, or crawls into your bed."

Scully smirked at his choice of words and took a moment to focus on the little one enjoying her two am feeding, "Do you remember rejecting me?"

Mulder shifted in the bed and ran his hands through his hair, "I do…but I feel I had very good reasons to do so, but I just couldn't tell you at the time."

"You should have." She replied looking back at him, "I deserved to know. Especially since you did, eventually, let me into your bed…then my bed, then a hotel bed, the desk, the rental car."

"It's pretty cruel to bring this up when we have six to eight weeks before we can even do any of that again."

"I'm not responsible for what my subconscious chooses to remember." She said shifting the baby to her other breast, "Maybe my brain was trying to tell me something."

"Like what?"

"Maybe that the IVF didn't fail. That maybe, when they implanted the embryos', there was more to them than just our DNA…"

"And you think that's why William is the way he is?"

"I can't think of any other possibility other than that."

"How about what you're holding. She has to prove something."

"Then that would mean we are the reason William is the way he is and she could be the same as he is."

"It wouldn't be a completely bad thing…he's still a great kid."

"With a body count."

"He was just protecting himself. And us. Are you afraid he's going to hurt us? Or her?"

"I don't know." She said, "I just want to know the truth, and sadly I fear I never will."

"Maybe one day we will, but for now I'd really like to get back to the dream I was in the middle of."

"What was it about?"

"That time on the desk." He winked before going back under the covers.


End file.
